


The Beast of the Outback

by NaughtyBees



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Child!Junkrat, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Giant Roadhog is giant, Macro/Micro, Overwatch AU, Parent-Child Relationship, brief child abuse mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-27 12:51:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7618741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaughtyBees/pseuds/NaughtyBees
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jamie Fawkes is a lonely eight year old orphan with the smarts to survive on the streets. Mako is a huge, secretive monster in need of some company. When the two meet, shenanigans ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First Overwatch fic! Please leave comments telling me what you think!

Jamison Fawkes had never truly known a loving family. Barely eight years old, he considered himself to be an independent man, living on the streets, picking pockets and eating anything people threw away that wouldn't make him sick. His parents had died when he was very young, too young to remember much about them. His new guardian turned out to be more interested in Jamie’s body than much else so the little boy had decided he could live without adults. He was his own man. He could do whatever he wanted. 

So, this was how he ended up here, sleeping behind a dumpster in an alley, dressed in dirty rags, with only a book about explosives to his name. It had apparently belonged to his father and he'd memorised every word of it, down to the neat, looping handwriting detailing ingredients and components. He awoke when sunlight hit his face, pooling down over his grubby hair and muck stained skin. He became aware of his surroundings slowly, flinching away from the light and sitting up, rubbing his amber eyes with a knuckle. He yawned quietly as he put his book and a few necessities into a canvas bag that was burnt and full of holes. He then peered out of the alley, not seeing anyone nearby. Satisfied, he started running, not too far from where the tarmac stopped and the red sand started. The dirty child had plenty of experience surviving and supposed he could catch something to eat that wasn't a budgie. He was happy that it was still pretty cool; if it were too late in the day he would fry like a sausage. 

When the heat of the day began to become unbearable, Jamie walked into a large cave, sighing as the sun gave way to the cool shade. He had found an out of date bottle of cola someone threw away but it had heated up quite a lot. Not too bothered, he opened it, drinking half of it without pausing. He put the cap back on and stuffed it back into his bag. He looked into the dark depths of the cave, walking a little ways inside, looking around.  
“There's a lot of junk in here.” Jamie said to himself. He suddenly gasped as he saw something glinting out of the corner of his eye. It was huge, golden and looked expensive. He ran over to it and tried to lift it, unable to even budge it since the circular part of it was wide enough to reach his chest. He looked at the square part, tracing a large letter E that was engraved in it with his fingertips. “Holy Dooley! Looks like a… really big ring. That's stupid though! Nobody has fingers this big!”

No sooner had Jamie spoken, a loud noise shook the very ground beneath his feet. It sounded like an animal growling. He squeaked in surprise and ran to the back of the cave, hiding behind a pile of junk. He peered over the top, seeing the glaring heat of the outback being cut off by something colossal. The ginormous beast had to crawl into the cave otherwise it wouldn't fit. It sat down, snarling quietly as it got comfortable. 

Jamie trembled slightly, looking for an opening. He didn't take his eyes off the beast, creeping around the side of the junk pile. He yelped softly as his foot caught something, bringing the pile crashing down beside him. He ran backwards as the top of the pile teetered towards him, sharp metal threatening to turn him into Swiss cheese. His back hit a rock and he sank down it, screaming as the pile fell, closing his eyes and waiting for the pain. It never came. He heard an awful scrape noise and opened his eyes, seeing a hand the size of a truck slowly pushing the pile away from him. He looked up to see the monster looking at him, masked face turned to let a darkened eye peer out of the lens. There was a tense pause before Jamie screamed, seeing the huge beast cut off any escape. He moved to the back of the cave, trying to scrabble up the rock, his fingers wearing away fast, the tips starting to leave blood on the rock. The child fell back on his behind, tears streaking through the dirt on his cheeks, leaving pale lines. 

The monster reached to the side of Jamie, causing him to flinch away, arms moving to cover his head. He trembled more violently, sniffling to himself. He heard a rustling noise and peeked over his arm, seeing huge fingers opening something. He noticed the knuckles had the same rings as he saw before, only one was bare, the letter E missing from the word 'LEFT'. He watched as a dusty packet of sharing snacks was moved towards him, the fingers withdrawing once it was close to Jamie. The child looked from the monster to the food, hesitating before he suddenly snatched up the bag, tearing it open and stuffing handfuls of salty snacks into his little mouth. He held both his hands close to his face, looking very rodent-like as he gorged himself. He licked the crumbs out of the bottom of the packet, wrinkling his nose at how salty it was. Then, he licked his hands clean, savouring every single morsel. Full and satisfied, Jamie sat back, putting a hand on his belly, sighing happily. He suddenly remembered what was here and looked up, seeing the monster still watching him. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness by this point and he noticed how the monster had a humongous stomach with a tattoo of a pig in the middle. He looked at the huge hands with black painted nails, the muscular arms that were wider than any tree Jamie had seen. He looked up at the mask, how it was stitched to look like a pig face and how he could still see a pair of eyes staring at him. 

Jamie stood up, brushing down his scabby knees. He held out a hand to the beast of a man, just like he was taught. “I'm Jamison Fawkes!” he beamed. When he didn't receive a reply, he put his hand down. “I live in the town East of here. On the streets.” still, he got no reply, just those eyes staring at him. “Strewth, you're a big fella ain't ya? A real whopper! Bit of a salad dodger too, eh?” Jamie walked closer to where the - for want of a better word - giant - was sat. He grinned up at him, his smile full of holes where the tooth fairy had visited with a sledgehammer. “Say, Mister, why do you wear that mask? It's scary, I love it! Do you have something wrong with your face, Mister? Are you a burn victim? I've seen people get blown to bits by my explosives I don't mind if you're a bit ugly, Mister! Do you have a pig nose like your mask and your tattoo Mister? What's your name anyway, Mister?” 

The man seemed a little overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. There was another pause before Jamie suddenly clamped his hands over his ears as they were assaulted by a devastatingly loud noise. The sound was deep like an explosion and rattled the boy to the core, shaking the air and the ground. The noise formed into words. Just one word.  
“Mako.” 

Jamie slowly moved his hands from his ears, looking up at the beast - Mako. A small smile came onto his face. It soon broadened into a wild grin. He started giggling happily, beaming up at him. “You sure are loud, Mr Mako!” he grinned, moving to scale the man’s leg, climbing up with ease. He sat down happily on his lap, his hands clasped tightly together to keep his excitement under control. 

There was a pause before Mako reached up to pull off his mask, revealing a face that was pale compared to the tanned skin on his body. He had whiskery stubble here and there, his nose was upturned with a large septum ring. A deep scar ran down his right cheek, cutting a chunk out of his eyebrow but it was one of many on his body, each a silver line that almost glowed in the darkness. Protruding from his mouth were two tusks, the right one broken off around four feet above his lip, the other extending upwards, being around 10 feet long. They were sharp. Very sharp. 

“Crikey! Your tusks are cool, Mister! What do you use them for? I heard monsters like you eat kids, Mister! You don't eat kids, do you? Are you fattening me up, Mister? You'll have a job on!” Jamie laughed, gesturing to how skinny he was. “I'm not gonna end up your size any time soon.”  
Mako blinked, taken aback by the amount of noise this child was making. He reached down, grasping Jamie by the legs between two fingers, lifting him upside down to his face. “What do you eat anyway, Mister? How many prawns does it take to fill your barbie? You just snack on the bouncing beef? Or are you the reason all those herds of cows went missing, Mister? You nicked them to fill your tum? Or maybe-” Jamie was cut off as a finger was pressed to his face, the squashy pad twice as wide as his head. 

“Shhh…” Mako frowned a little exhaling with a snort. He lifted Jamie upwards, placing him gently on his shoulder, dusting off his hands before he pushed all of his junk to the corner of his cave. Jamie watched as he set out his bedroll, making sure his pillow was fluffed. He then started to make a little bed beside his for Jamie, clearly thinking it was high time for a nap to sleep through the hottest part of the day. He made a little nest for the small boy, moving him to lay in it, tucking him in with a thin blanket. He patted his crazy hair with one finger before laying on his own bed, grunting and snorting as he got comfortable. He sighed, closing his eyes and relaxing. He suddenly felt a tickle on his side, slowly moving upwards. He raised an eyebrow, watching as the skinny little boy appeared on top of his stomach, grinning. 

“Hey! This is like a bouncy castle!” Jamie exclaimed as he started jumping up and down, bouncing around like a baby kangaroo, laughing like crazy. He dodged Mako’s hand when it made to grab him, giggling happily. “Too slow, drongo!” Jamie yelled, perhaps prematurely as Mako easily grabbed him around the middle a second time, holding him tightly. “Okay, okay, no more bouncing!”  
When dropped, Jamie exhaled and sat down. He flopped backwards, yawning noisily and settling down. “G’night, Mr Mako!” Jamie cried out happily. 

There was a small pause before Mako grumbled softly, his stomach vibrating with the deep pitch of his voice.  
“Sleep well, Jamie.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about this chapter I really am

Mako huffed with a soft snort as he awoke from a dream. It had been a weird one, that's for sure. Some strange rat child had infiltrated his home, eaten his food and used him as a playground. Of course, the colossal man would enjoy the company. He hadn't had a friend in so long, he almost forgot what it felt like to be happy with someone else. Regardless, he sat up, scratching his backside as he stretched. He opened his mouth to yawn, suddenly pausing as he felt something get sucked onto his tongue. 

“Hey, be careful, mate! Some of us are trying to- woah! Your mouth is _huge_! You could eat a pack of dingoes in one bite!” 

Mako reached into his mouth and pulled Jamison out, having to tug a few times to get him to let go of his tusk. He held him in front of his face while he ran his tongue over the tusk, able to taste the years of dirt the boy left behind. He grimaced a little and reached for his mask, putting it on so Jamie didn't go anywhere near his taste buds again. Mako then put Jamie down on his bedroll and turned around, crawling out of his cave on all fours and standing once he was outside. He stretched, his back popping and echoing around the rocks. The day wasn't so hot now they'd slept through the worst of it and it was the perfect time to get some hunting done. 

“Woahh…” Mako looked down to see Jamie staring up at him, mouth agape, eyes as wide as saucers. He tried to walk backwards to see him better, only to trip and fall onto his back. “You're so huge!” he laughed as he stood back up, dusting off his grubby pants. “How tall are you? And how heavy? A billion tons?”

Mako smiled with a chuckle and answered. “80 feet, give or take. And I weigh around… 770 tons.”

“Woah!” Jamie smiled, his eyes lit up in awe. “I wish I had you when I was starving on the streets. Just so I wasn't so hungry. I bet you get so much food!”

Mako paused for a second, wondering if his sudden decision was a good one or if he was going crazy. The words left his mouth before he could catch them. “Jamie? Would you like to live with me? For good?”

There was a beat before Jamie’s small smile stretched into a massive grin. “What?! Really?! You actually want me?!” the little boy started hopping around, his arms flailing wildly as he shrieked with joy. “YES! We can go on adventures and do anything we want and play games and make explosives and eat anything we kill and, and…” he looked up at Mako, tears glistening in his eyes for the second time today. He jumped up, trying to latch onto his leg to climb up, only to have a hand under him, pulling him upwards. Jamie hugged as many of Mako’s fingers as he could, still giggling happily. 

Mako smiled to himself and held the boy close to his chest as he moved to a rock formation. To unassuming eyes, this short stack and overhang would look natural but that was far from the case. Sitting on the stack, Mako was the perfect height for the overhang to work as a table. He put Jamie down on the warm rock, watching the child bounce still.  
“You hungry?” 

With a nod, Jamie grinned. “Starving! What's on the menu, mate?” he asked, hopping from one foot to the other. 

“Kangaroo.” Mako said, getting a sharp rock so he could sketch out a plan on the table. “And I'll show you how I catch it.”

oOo

Mako had never had as much fun in his life. What started out as a usual hunting tactic, blocking off both exits and letting the prey become trapped, ended up a lot funner. Jamie had told Mako he was up for the task of scaring the kangaroos into his clutches but the larger of the two just imagined the tiny child running around after the animals, not doing much to get them caught. However, Jamie had a surprise up his sleeve. He had lined the exits of the canyon they were using to trap the animals in with mines he'd made himself. As soon as the kangaroos got close to leaving, the leader of the troop stepped on a mine and was blown to bits, showering Jamie with blood and viscera. Spooked, the rest of the animals ran straight into Mako’s waiting hands, being scooped up and placed into a sack with ease. Jamie had run over to Mako, happy despite his stink. He was jittery, twitching a little, talking about how he wished the rest of the mines had gone off. Mako, being the kind soul he was, happily dropped a rock on one of the mines, setting them all off in a chain. Jamie screamed with unbridled joy, laughing like a lunatic, shaking all over. 

Mako hadn't heard anything else but explosives as he brought Jamie home and wondered what caused the boy to love the loud and dangerous. Not that he had a problem with it. He himself was loud and dangerous so he supposed it was a good job that Jamie was the kid he'd been landed with. 

“And then you just pack it with as much shrapnel as you can to-- ‘ang on. Isn't your cave back that way?” Jamie asked, pointing over his shoulder. 

“We need to do something first.” Mako mumbled. It felt strange using that word. ‘We.’ There hadn't been a ‘we’ for so long. Too long. Happy that Jamie was enjoying himself sat on Mako’s shoulder, the man walked faster, making the tiny boy whoop with joy. He chuckled as Jamie stood, both hands clasping the helix of his ear to steady himself. 

However, this joy was short lived. Jamie soon spotted where they were going, his happy cheers morphing into panicked screams. “No! No, please, no!” Jamie shrieked, attempting to jump off Mako’s shoulder. He was caught and held in a tight fist, struggling, his legs poking out of the top, kicking wildly. 

Mako sighed with a snort as he approached where the red, sandy brush ended and the cool, blue waters began. “Jamie…” Mako softly scolded, pinching the boy around the waist, holding him still as he thrashed. “Jamie, stop.” 

“No! I don't want to be washed!” Jamie screamed, pounding on Mako’s finger with his fists, growling as if it would make him let go. 

With a huff, Mako pulled off his mask, setting it aside. He stripped off the few items of clothing he had before starting to wade into the cool water, sighing with contentment as he sank deeper. He still held Jamie between his fingers, the boy now starting to sob as he clung to Mako, trembling. It hurt him to see the child in such a state but he supposed it was better to get it over with. He cupped his palm and let water pour into it before gently placing Jamie into it, his screams sharpening. He suddenly stopped screaming, realising the water was barely waist height. He looked from Mako’s expectant face to the water, as if puzzled. When prompted, he slowly removed his dirty clothes, throwing the rags at Mako before sitting down in his hand, arms crossed in a strop. 

“...can't you swim?” Mako asked, using the fingers on his other hand to rub the grime from Jamie’s chest. He was extra gentle since he knew how much damage he could cause to someone so fragile. Jamie seemed to like his back being rubbed and arched into the touch, a small smile breaking through his angry pout. 

“Oh, that's nice.” he muttered as Mako petted him. “I can swim but I hate the water. It's icky.” 

With a soft chuckle, Mako nodded. “I'll leave you on the shore while I finish up. _After_ I wash you.”  
Jamie whined while he was scrubbed clean, his hair actually turning out to be a nice blond colour instead of a grubby brown. When Mako uncovered the secret freckles under the dirt, he smiled, having the overwhelming urge to give him a tight hug. He let the water drain away through the gaps in his fingers before pressing his nose to Jamie’s cheek, his cheeks heating up when two skinny arms wrapped around it, hugging back. 

“You owe me a bickie, mate. A choccy bickie.” Jamie said, patting the bridge of Mako’s nose before pushing him away. “And a fuckload of chocolate milk.”

Mako snorted with annoyance, giving Jamie a deep frown. “Don't swear.” he scolded before making his way to the shore. He leaned over to get a cloth from where he'd left his things and wrapped the little boy in it, setting him on a smooth rock. “If you need me, just shout.”

“No wukkas, cobber!” Jamie smiled, snuggling into his makeshift towel. He watched as Mako went back into the water, sinking into the cool depths, wallowing like a happy pig. He grinned, towelling his hair off before standing up, feeling a certain freedom in being naked and not being arrested. He picked up an armful of pebbles and walked to the side of the water, starting to throw the rocks as far as he could. He wished he had a grenade so he could see how much of a splash he could make. He thought about how happy he felt, despite having been scrubbed clean against his will. He had a home now with a monster who seemed like the nicest guy Jamie had ever met. At this moment, he was the happiest little boy alive. 

All at once, something that Jamie assumed to be a log lunged out of the water, colossal jaws snapping around the young boy’s leg. Jamie tried to scream as he was dragged backwards by the animal, his bare skin being shredded to ribbons by the sharp rocks. He felt the burn of water in his nose pulled under the surface, his arms and free leg flailing as he tried to get free. He could see the huge reptile with his leg clamped between its jaws, blood clouding his view of it when it twisted him sharply, his scream manifesting in muted bubbles. He gasped, a lungful of water burning its way through his chest. He looked up at the surface, so far away now, light rippling down in shafts. His vision began to blur as he was dragged from side to side once again. The pain wasn't as bad anymore. As he faded, he saw a dark shadow cast over him and wondered if this was the end of Jamison Fawkes. 

oOo

“Mako!” Jamie shrieked as he tried to sit up, gasping for breath, cold sweat all over him. He looked around, noticing it was night, a blanket of stars overhead. There was a huge bonfire in the little canyon and he looked at it, seeing an animal cooking on a spit. A crocodile with a large round puncture through the centre as if it had been pierced by something devastatingly sharp. Jamie looked up when he felt the ground shake, watching as Mako walked over to him, slowly kneeling down. The giant had blood caking his intact tusk, dried on his lips and cheek. His brow was furrowed, his eyes worried as they scanned Jamie’s tiny form. 

There was a moment of silence before Mako picked up a blanket, reaching down to swaddle Jamie in it like a baby. He lifted him up, cradling him in his palms as he sat with a resonating thump. He stroked his hair in silence, his breathing heavy, soothing Jamie. 

Mako’s face was hardened in a frown and he sighed quietly. “Jamie… there's something I need to tell you.” he wrapped his fingers around the boy, holding him close to his vast expanse of a chest. “That crocodile… he didn't leave you in one bit.” 

Jamie frowned a little and wriggled, moving to sit up. He pulled aside his blanket and looked at his legs. Or lack of. His right leg was bandaged below the knee, his stump bloody and painful. He felt a heavy sick feeling in the pit of his stomach and he looked up at Mako, his lip quivering. He pressed his face into the rough flesh beside him, crying softly into Mako’s finger.  
“B-But… I like running around!” he whimpered. “I wanted to race you!” 

Mako tucked the blanket back around Jamie and lifted him to his face, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. “We'll make you better.” Mako whispered, his finger petting Jamie’s hair and back. “You'll be fine.”  
Putting Jamie on his lap, he sat him up against his belly, reaching into the pocket of his jeans. “Look what I made for you while you were sleeping. To replace those dirty clothes.”

Jamie took an item of clothing that was offered to him and held it out. A pair of tattered, green shorts, sewn together by large stitches. He smiled, turning to plant a kiss on Mako’s belly. “Thank you.” he smiled. He squeaked when a baggy shirt was dropped over his head too. With Mako’s help, he put the clothes on, looking pretty cool. “I love them. Better than my yucky rags.” 

Mako smiled and moved Jamie to a rock, letting him sit while he took the crocodile off the fire. He cut a leg off it and put it on a smooth stone that served as a plate, handing it to Jamie. “Revenge. Best served piping hot with salt and pepper.” he smiled, the rest of the croc being carelessly thrown into his own mouth, his teeth pulverising flesh and bone alike. 

Jamie paused to gape at how Mako ate, shuddering at the thought of being crunched up like that. He shook it off and started shoving the juicy meat into his mouth in strips, licking his lips. “I wonder if I tasted this good.” Jamie muttered before looking at Mako. “Don't find out for me, okay? I don't want to lose any other limbs.” 

Mako put a handful of whole cooked kangaroos on his plate, sitting beside Jamie as he started to eat, crunching down the seared corpses. “I won't let anything else happen to you.” he ran a finger down Jamie’s back, stroking his hair. “I promise.”

Jamie smiled, leaning back to rub his cheek against Mako’s finger. “I love you, Mako.” he said, smiling, feeling truly safe for the first time in his life. 

“I love you too.” Mako whispered, staring at Jamie’s leg. He felt a deep rage in the pit of his stomach and he knew that he would protect this dirty, energetic little boy as long as he lived.


End file.
